To capitalise on the horsemeat scandal, farmers were advised to tell the story of where their produce came from. “Farms shops are able to demonstrate clearly the link back to the farm and, with meat, able to guarantee the kind of animal it comes from,” said Mr Jones.

The challenge for farmers who are selling beef is finding a way of selling the front end of the animal as well as the back end. This is where processing comes in, which offers another opportunity, he said.